‘Food Network’ Star Valerie Bertinelli Files For Legal Separation From Husband

'Food Network' Star Valerie Bertinelli Files For Legal Separation From Husband

Home / Exclusive / 'Food Network' Star Valerie Bertinelli Files For Legal Separation From Husband

By Mike Walters on November 24, 2021 at 6:35 PM EST
Updated on March 16, 2022 at 7:59 PM EDT

'Food Network'star Valerie Bertinelli has just filed to end her marriage of 10 years to her second husband, Tom Vitale.

According to legal documents, obtained by The Blast, the 'Kids Baking Championship' host filed for legal separation from her husband on the day before Thanksgiving.

Bertinelli and Vitale got married on January 1, 2011, at their home in Malibu, California. The wedding ceremony was attended by hundreds of guests, including her famous ex-husband and rocker Eddie Van Halen. The two share a son, Wolfgang Van Halen. Tom is reportedly a financial planner, and TV producer, who is the CEO of the e-commerce company, Veebow.

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Valerie Bertinelli Files For Legal Separation, Not Divorce From Husband

‘Food Network’ Star Valerie Bertinelli Files For Legal Separation From Husband
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At this point, it's unclear why the television star filed for legal separation instead of dissolution of marriage. But, it should be noted, after a couple is "separated" the finances of each party are considered separate. In many celebrity cases, this is done for that reason.

The 'Food Network' star was introduced to Vitale by her brother, Patrick. "Val and I were coming from a tough time and wanting to move on but didn’t want to trust anyone,” Vitale said in an interview. Adding, "We just understood each other completely. My family is her family. It wasn’t love at first sight; it was family at first sight."

Valerie is the author of several cookbooks and included a recipe for her husband's Beef Rib-Eye in the latest, "Valerie's Home Cooking.'

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"My husband came up with this recipe, and if I hadn’t already married him, it would’ve been love at first bite," she explained on her website. 

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'Kid's Baking Championship' Host's Ex-Husband Eddie Van Halen Attended Her Wedding

‘Food Network’ Star Valerie Bertinelli Files For Legal Separation From Husband
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Earlier this year, Valerie made headlines after Eddie Van Halen died after a long battle with cancer. The host went on Instagram Life to discuss the tremendous grief she was feeling about the loss of her son's father.

"This whole year has been, unfortunately, about death and grieving, and losing and loss, and too many people have lost too many things," she said. Adding, she and the rock star had a "messy" relationship. "We had some very difficult, very challenging times, but we had some beautiful times too. And the lovely thing about grief -- the gift that it gives you -- is that it’s so much easier to remember the beautiful moments than the challenging and the difficult moments that you have with that person."

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Bertinelli's son, Wolfgang,  is now 30 years old. After the death of his father in 2020, he began to focus on his project Mammoth WVH, founded and fronted by him. He focuses on vocals and instruments in the band, which initially started as a solo-project while he was still a part of Van Halen prior to their disbandment. The group started in 2015, and is still active today.

As we said, it's unclear what split Bertinelli and Vitale, and if they will follow through with a full-blown divorce. At this point, court records show that it is just a "legal separation."

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